Shock-loader.



No. 896,635. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908. E. L. GRIFFIN. snow LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED OGT.30,19OG.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908.

E. L. GRIFFIN. SHOCK LOADER. APPI IOATION FILED OUT. 30, 1906.

s SHEETS-SHEET 2 shock loader.

l'. i e. ti l... idililti ll isii finn .AL

SHOCK-LOADER.

No. eeaese.

Specification of Letters Patent.

a t d Aug. 318, T808.

Application filed Bctober 3Q, 1906. Serial No. 341,327.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EZRA L. GRIFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Deslacs, in the county of Ward and State of North Dakota, have invented new and useful improvements in Shock-Loaders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a shock loader of simple, durable and inert pensive construction of the class designed to he advanced over a field by draft animals and to pick up shocks of small grain and coney them upwardly and laterally to dispose them in, a wagon advancing on one side of A further object is to provide improved and simplified means for gathering shocks upon the main conveyor and to prevent the slats of said conveyor from becoming broken or the conveyor from becoming torn when. it engages fixed objects in the path of the machine, and also to provid a gathering device upon which grain, grasses and the like will not become wound. I

A further object is to provide an improved lateral conveyor frame capable of being quickly and easil tilted to discharge to either side of machine.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts or elements of the shock loader whereby the objects contemplated are obtained, as hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in my claims and illustrations in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of the complete machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows rear elevation of same and the dotted lines indicate an adjusted position of the lateral conveyor. Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the complete machine embodying my invention. Fig. -1- shows an enlarged detail sectional viewol' the compensating gear for transmitting power from the traction wheels to the longitudinal conveyor, and, Fig. 5 shows an enlarged dotail vicw of the outer end of one of the SUPPOIi-lng arms for the draft device.

Referring to the accompanying drawing I have used the numeral to indicate the main frame of the machine. The forward end of the frame is supported upon two ver tical shafts ll sildingly, rotatably mounted in the main frame, and having the supporting wheels 12 at their lower ends. The rear of the main frame is supported upon the axle 13 to which the'traction wheels 14 are fixed. At the rear of the main frame is a superstructure 15 upon which the rear end of the longitudinal conveyor and the lateral conveyer are supported.

l have provided for advancing and steering the frame as follows: Fixed to the sides of the main frame near its forwa d ends are arms 16, which extend laterally and are pro .vided at outer end with the pulleys 17, and rope or cable 18 is passed around the outer s1 es of said pulleys and in the roar of a pul loy 19 which atter pulley is fixed to the main frame under its central portion. Attached to the forward ends of said rope or cable are the Whiille-trees 20 to which draft animals may be attached. Fixed to each. of the upright shafts 11 is a lever 21, and these lovers are connocted'by the cross piece so that both of the forward wheels are held thereby in parallel position. For steering these forward wheels I have provided a vertical shaft 23 in thoarm 16 at the right side of the frame. On the lower end of said shaft 1 have fixed a pair of thills 24 to receive the draft animal that is connected to the whifi'ie-tree at the right side of the machine. Near the power end of the shaft 23 is a sprocket wheel 2 5 having a sprocket chain 26 passed around it, having its ends-attached to the ends of the cross piece 22 so that by turning the thill 24 to either side the supporting wheels 12 will be turned in a similar manner. ll desired the thills 24 may be dispensed with, and the steering wheels controlled by the operator as follows: The numeral 27 indicates operators seat mounted adjacent to right side of machine frame. Near the drivers seat is an upright shaft 28 provided with a crank 29 at its top, and connected by sprocket chain 30 with a sprocket wheel 3.1 on the shaft 23. In this Way the driver may by manipulating crank 29 control the positions by the steering wheel 12.

The longitudinal conveyor comprises sides 32 and a slatted "bottom 33, said frame being fixed at its rearend to the superstructure 15 and at its forward end to the frame 10. Said forward end, however, projecting some distance below the main frame and slightly in advance of the steering wheels. The conveyor apron is composed oi chains 34 and cross slats 35 of the ordinary kind. Said apron being driven from a shaft 36 at the rear of the conveyor frame having sprocket wheels ther on to receive the chains 3 1. At

performs an important function in the operation of my invention in that the cross slats 35 lie close to it as they travel around it and therefore if any cross slat should strike upon a fixed object it will bend back and engage the roller, and be h rotectecl by the roller against breakage nurthermore by having said cross slats run close to the said roller mains and grasses and the like are prevented om entermg between the slate and roller and winding around the roller. In this way a ver bjectionable feature in machines of this 0 ass is obviated.

I have ppovided means for adjusting the forward end of the machine frame relative to the steering wheels as required to raise and lower the forward end or? the longitudinal conveyor as follows: Mounted in the/inaframe.

chine. frame is a on one, end a lever crank arm ll. crank; arm is a rope or cable k pulleys $3 on theupright she-its 11 a f heated with the forward end of the conveyers sides 32 and pawl. is connected. to thelever toengage a sector on the Obviously byinanipulating the lever 40 the: forward end of the frame may be vertically adjusted and it may be held in any position of its adjustments by the pawl and sector. l have provided for driving the lengths dinal conveyor apron as follows: Fixed to the rear axle 13 at each end is a trace tion wheel adjacent to which traction wheel is a sprocket wheel 46. Above the sprocket wlieels is a shaft 4-7 having on each end a sprocket wheel 48. The wheels 46 and d8 each have as rocket chain 49 passed around thorn an a so passed around .a

transversi shaft having ither end a sprocket Wheel 50 a :justably mounted on its strains 18 in front of the traction wheels,

the under ortions of said chains on a in P u the sprocket wheels so thus imparting motion to the shaft 47 in the proper direction. In this connection it is to he noted that in turning around corners one raction wheel will move faster than the others and hence it will be impracticable to firmly fix both 1 tiereiore provided a compensating gear desproeket wheels 48 to the shaft 47. I have vico'as on the shaft 47 as follows: As shown 1 in the accompanying drawing this compeneating gear device is located on the left end of the shaft 47. The sprocket l8 being fixed to a hub 51, which hub is rotatably mounted on the shaft 47 and is providod'with a bev- .eled gear wheel ceases to the shaft 47. Between the beveled 'geas} wheels 52 and 53 is a loose collar 58, on the shaft 47 having beveled pinions 59 connected therewith and in mesh with the beveled sprocket Wheels 52 and 53. The shafts on which the beveled pinions 59 are mounted are also used as supports for a rocket rim 60. this arrangement it is o vious that either one of the traction wheels may be moved faster than the other and yet both will serve to inr art motion to the sprocket rim 60 in a uni orm way in the well known manner in which compensating gear devices operate. A sprocket chain .61 is passed around the sprocket rim 60 and around a sprocket wheel 62 on the shaft 36 so that the apron of the longitudinal conveyor will be driven upon the advancing of the shock loader. r k

Mounted upon the superstructure at the rear of the main frame are the bearings in which the shaft 64 is mounted in a position.

extended. longitudinally of the main frame above its center. This lateral co veyer frame comprises sides 65 and a solid. bottom 66. I have provided means for tilting the lateral conveyer frame as follows: Mounted.

near the rear of the main frame is a shaft 67 having on one end a worm Wheel 68 in mesh with. a worm 69 on a shaft 70 which shaft is provided with a crank 71 arranged adjacent to the drivers seat. On one side of the centerof the shaft 57 a rope or cable 72 is fixed and wound. The said rope is extended straight upwardly and attached to the lateral conveyor frame, and on the opposite side of i the center of the shaft 67 is a similar rope or cable 73 fixed to the shaft and wound thereon in an opposite direction; its upper end being attached to the lateral conveyor frame. By this arrangement of parts the operator upon turning the crank 71 will. rotate shaft 6'7 thus causing one of the ropes thereon to he wound u on the shaft and the other to be unwound t e corresponding distance. -The worm gears in this connection serve to hold shaft 67 in any position of its adjustments and thus retaining the conveyor irarneat any angle withi'noits limit of m0vemerit. At the ends of the lateral conveyor frame are the shafts 74 having thereon the sprocket wheels 7 5 over which the sprocket chains 78 are passed. These sprocket chains are rovided with cross slats 79 to frame and heir. conveyer apron. This apron is driven as follows: On the shaft 64 are two sprocket wheels 80, only one of which. is shown, which sprocket wheels are in engagement with the chains 78. ()n the forward end of the shaft 54 is a sprocket wheelill connected by a chain 82 with a sprocket wheel 83 on a short sh aft fixed to the side of the longitudinal conveyor frame. On the same shaft a beveled 36 of the longitudinal conveyor" is a sleeve having two beveled pinions 86 spaced apart and designed to be brought successively into mesh with the 1 inion 82. By having said sleeve moved longitudinally on the shaft 86 the said sleeve is controlled as follows On the side of the, longitudinal conveyer frame is a brake 87 towhich a bell-crank lever 88' is fulcrumed one end thereof being connected with the sleeve 85 and the other end with a rod 90, which rod is pivoted to a lever 91 on the main frame adjacent to the drivers seat which lever is provided with a pawl 92 to engage a sector 93.

In practical use the shock loader is advanced over a field by draft animals and if the thills are provided for one of them the machine is steered by the animal hitched in the thills. If the thills are not provided the machine may be steered by the o erator manipulating the steering crank. hen in use the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor is adjustedto a side position that the roller therein will stand close to the ground surface. When the forward end of the longitudinal conveyer strikes a shock of grain it will cause the shock to tilt rearwardly upon the 0011-.

veyer apron and the upwardly moving slats thereof .will carry the bundles of the shock upwardly and rearwardly. The roller at the forward end of the conveyor serves to protect the slats as before described. Assuming that there is no wagon. at hand into which the bundles of grain may be discharged the operator swings the lateral frame to a substantially horizontal position and mani )ulates the lever 91 to throw both have ed pinions 86 out of mesh. with the pinion 84 so that the lateral conveyer stands iii-operative while the forward conveyer delivers the bundles thereto, then when a wagon is driven under the rear conveyer the apron thereof is started to move in the proper direction and the bundles will be delivered into the wagon. As the height of the load in the wagon increases the rear of the frame is tilted by the operator and elevated to suit the requirements.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, therefor is 1. In a shock loader, the combination of a frame, supporting wheels therefor, a forwardly and downwardly inclined conveyer frame mounted in the main frame with its lower end capable of running close to the ground surface, a roller extended across the forward end of the frame, an endless conveycr comprising cross slats passed around said roller, and capable of engaging the ground over which the device is passing, said slats and roller being so arranged that the slats will lie flat against the roller throughout their entire length, to thereby prevent breakage of the slats when they strike obstructions on the ground surface.

combination of a main wheels therefor, a forwardly and downwardly age of the slats when they strike obstruc' tions on the ground surface, and means for vertically adjusting the lower end of the conveyer frame.

3. In a device of theclass described, the

combination of a main frame, supporting,

wheels therefor, a forwardly and downwardly inclined conveyer frame mounted in the main frame with its lower end-close to the ground surface, and its upper end pivotally supported, a roller in the lower end of the said conveyer frame, a slatted conveyer passed around said roller, the slats thereof designed to run close to the ground surface and to pick-up articles thereon, said slats also arranged to lie flat against said roller to prevent their breakage, and a lateral conveyer arranged on the frame with its central portion adjacent to the uppenend of the first mentioned conveyer, and means for operat ing the lateral conveyer in either direction".

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a main frame, supporting. wheels therefor, a forwardly and downwardly inclined conveyer framemounted in the main frame with. its lower end close to the ground surface, and its upper end pivotally supported, a roller in the lower end. of the said conveyer frame, a slatted conveyer passed around said roller, the slats thereof designed to run close to the ground surface and pick up articles thereon, said slats also arranged to lie flat against said roller to prevent their breakage, and a lateral conveyer arranged on theframe with itscentral portion adiace'nt to thhhupper end of the first mentioned conveyer, and means for operating the lateral conveyer in either direction, and means for IIVlllg both conveyers by power from a supporting wheel.

5. In a device of'the class described, the frame, supporting in clined conveyer frame mounted in the main frame with its lower end close to the ground surface, and its upper end pivotally supported, a roller in the lower end of the said conveyer frame, a slatted conveyer passed around said roller, the slats thereof designed to run close to the ground surface and pick up a ticles thereon, said slats also arranged to lie flat against said roller to prevent their breakage, anda lateral conveyer arranged on the frame with its central portion adjacent to the upper end of the first mentioned conveyer, and means for operating the lateral conveyer in either directiornand means forvertically adjusting the lower end of the main con veyer frame.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of"a main frame,- supporting wheels therefor, a forwardly and downwardly inclined conveyer frame mounted in the main frame with its lower end close to the ground surface, and its u per end pivotally supported, a roller in t e lower end. of the said conveyer frame, a slatted conveyer passed around said roller, the slats thereof designed to run close to the ound surface and pick up articles thereon, said slats also arranged to lie seaesa fiat against said roller to prevent their break age, and a lateral conveyor arranged on the frame with its central portion adjacent to the upper-end of the first mentioned conveyer, and means for operating the lateral conveyer in either direction, and means for vertically adjusting the lower end of the main conveyer frame, said means comprising a cable fixed to the lower end of the main conveyer frame, an elevated pulley having said cable passedover it, a lever fulcrumed to the main frame and having said cable attached to it, and means for locking said lever in various positions.

Des Moines, Iowa, October 4,1906.

' EZRA L. fi- PdFFIN.

Witnesses; v

A. C. TORGERSON,

H. K. HILL. 

